One downside for having a square jaw was that it was a huge pain to shave; I clamped my left hand on the porcelain sink as I cautiously slid the Gillette razor across my skin, tentatively manoeuvring the sharp blades across the angular surface of my upper lip and chin before dipping back down to skim back up my neck along the parts I had missed - Noah refused to let me out of our room with my beard, so I had been forced to be rid of the beard I had grown attached to. When my handiwork was done I rinsed the razor and tapped it on the side of the sink before splashing off the remaining shaving foam.

I patted my face with post shave balm; the feeling of softly clean shaven skin under my hands was almost alien to me after having a beard for such a length of time.

   “Hobo-Cinderella, are quite finished making yourself beautiful? I need to piss.” Noah groaned from the other side of the panelled door.

I snorted, glancing in the mirror one more time before I left – fortunately, my eyes were not bloodshot anymore and I was beginning to resemble my old self. I lifted my shirt and ran a hand down my stomach. Evidently, I no longer had a six pack, nevertheless, the muscular structure of my torso was still there and my arms were still as bulky as they had always been. I flexed slightly and grinned to myself. I’ve still got it. I thanked my father for giving me the height of a small mountain. Even though my physique was acceptable, it wouldn’t hurt to hit the gym again sooner rather than later.

Noah leapt towards me as soon as I left the bathroom, skipping like a clumsy deer as he rushed to go to the toilet.  He slammed the door, but I heard him muttering. “Narcissist bastard, made me wait half an hour.”

I laughed deeply, walking over to my badly packed holdall. I was so out of my mind the night we drove there, I had no idea what I had actually put in it. The clothes were all bunched up into little balls and I rummaged through absentmindedly. Her crying face suddenly wept into my mind and I squeezed the bridge of my nose as I tried to block it out.

Lou was twenty one today.

God, I fucking missed her.

It was as if my life support had been shut off the past four years. I hadn’t been living, only existing without her. My mother thought I was pathetic, having feelings for a teenager and expecting her to wait for me like an obedient puppy. “She’ll never wait, Zachary. Girls like her are vermin - a shiny new boy will have swept her off her feet by the time you find her. She’s a leech, a sickly parasite, and you’re the host.” Cain had said nothing, his opinion void as my mother ranted vigilantly until I wanted to bash my skull in with a rock. It was like torture as she pushed her poisonous words onto me, as if ripping the love of my life away from me wasn’t good enough, she had to pour salt into the wound as well.

Scarlett had had to return to France after my father’s recovery, but frequently Skyped me. However, in a few months I closed in on myself, and just ignored her calls. Her support would never be able to fill the hole that was left after Lou was gone.

There was always the same thought that painfully niggled in my mind over and over again: what if she hadn’t waited?

What if my age put her off?

A lot of girls liked men that were older, but I always had the doubt in my mind. Soon enough, I would be thirty and she would still be in her early twenties. Maybe she would want someone her own age, maybe the thrill of being with an older man died that night when I was taken away from her, maybe she hated me for leaving her. I had to. To keep her untouched by my mother and her vicious tactics. If I didn’t leave her, no college or university would have accepted her due to the old hags’ influence. She would have had no chance of further education; I refused to ruin her life like that.

Exhaling agitatedly, I threw on some jeans - I had settled on wearing a black fitting t-shirt with them, and some high tops. It was warm enough to go without a jacket and the shirt accentuated and clung to my muscles.

 I glared at the clock ticking on the wall. It was only one o’clock - Phil said the party was starting at seven. How could he expect me to wait another six hours when I was so close?

The door to our room was suddenly swung open, almost knocking it off its hinges with pure brute force. Speak of the devil and he shall appear; Phil grinned in the doorway, his grey eyes sparkling.

“I see you've finally had a shave Cinderella!” He barked good-naturedly. “But your hair is offending me.”

“Excuse me?” I laughed uneasily.

“Your hair, lad. I was a barber before I bought this place.” He elaborated, smoothing his hand across his hairless head. “I may be bald, but I know split ends when I see them.”

He dragged the chair from the corner of the room, letting it scrap across the floor until it was in front of me and abruptly sat me down. I watched in horror as he pulled some scissors from his back pocket and snipped them in the air a few times. Who the hell was this guy, Sweeney Todd? Noah emerged from the bathroom, one eyebrow raised as he looked on.

“Stay still.” Phil instructed sternly, his grey eyes hard with concentration as he reached forward to clip my hair. I sat rigidly, but inside I was panicking.

This mother fucker is going to make me bald.

* * *

Mystified and hot with fury, I stood there like a fool with air leaving my lungs in tiny whispery breaths; the effect he had on me would never change. His dark hair was arbitrarily tousled and his sloped nose led to the soft lips that I could almost taste on the tip of my tongue. His posture was sturdy and powerful and just... manly. He made Lachlan look like a little boy in comparison. I could feel my traitorous heart already beginning to wake from its four year long slumber – it heaved in my chest with a tender ache, as if it was trying to yank me closer to him.

“Who the fuck is this?” Lachlan almost laughed, but it died in his throat when he sensed the stifling intensity around us that was rising by the second. “Louise?”

Zach detected the use of my full name as soon as it had left the Scot’s mouth, his heavy brows shifting into a hard stare as he took a step forward. I backed up instantaneously, as if he was a fire that was about to scald me. Perhaps he was.

“I was about to say the same thing, Lou.” Zach rumbled, the hostility in his voice making Lachlan narrow his eyes.  

All this time I had been waiting and waiting, waiting to see him...waiting for this moment. Four years of my life had been subjugated by scenarios of this moment in my mind. It was supposed to feel like all my Christmases and birthdays had come all at once. Yet the feeling I expected was nowhere to be found. My heart was craving, needing him, loving him - but my mind was filled with countless emotions that only one word could be sufficient enough to describe them: abandonment.

“Why are you here?” I demanded, my tone harsh and broken as I struggled to breathe.

The man I had spent years wanting replied, his answer straightforward and honest.

“You know why.” He stared at me. The warm adoration and care he held in his umber irises making my skin prickle with shivers. “I love you. I never stopped loving you, Lou.”

“Don’t call me that.” I spat. “You lost your right to call me that when you left.” He put one foot forward, and I recoiled again. He swallowed, his face contorted with hurt.

“I didn’t want to leave.” He raised his tone with agitation. “You would have been slandered as a manipulative whore for the rest of your life. Did you want that to happen?”

Neither Madonna nor any other artist sung in the background anymore; Dennis had stopped his music, and everyone within The Pegasus had come to a halt. The quiet whispers and small clinks of glasses being put down echoed around the room and I found myself enraged.

“It wasn’t your decision to make!” I snarled. Zach glared, his dark eyes flashing with unknown intent. A fire blistered in my heart and my fist twitched.

“So what now? Is this my replacement?” he snorted, throwing a glance to Lachlan.

For some reason that touched a nerve, and I suddenly swung my leg through the air and kicked it into his groin. A girl gasped from one side of the room and Zach fell to his knees with a grunt. It was oddly satisfying. I found myself laughing as I remembered wanting to kick him when he was removing my blister-creating heels. No! I reprimanded myself. Don’t think of things like that now!

“Look, I think you should leave.” Lachlan tried to even the tension.

“Do you now?” Zach challenged ascending to his feet uncomfortably before he looked at me. “Fine, William Wallace. I’ll leave.”

Lachlan eyed him as Zach went to walk past us toward the exit of the pub and he brushed his shoulder against mine. I furrowed my brows. The Zach I knew would never back down. I was about to turn around when out of the blue, an arm hooked around the back of my thighs and I was hoisted into the air.

I screamed, and kicked my legs as Zach raised me up so I was slung across his shoulder. He turned around to face Lachlan, practically putting my denim shorts clad backside on show for everyone on Lachlan’s side of the room to see. I could feel the embarrassing warmth rising to my cheeks.

“I said I’d leave, kid. You didn’t say anything about leaving without the birthday girl.”  He clicked his tongue and patted my behind with his large hand victoriously, a devilish grin sweeping across his lips as he turned around and strode out of the pub.

I could hear Lachlan yelling, but he didn’t seem to be coming out of The Pegasus. Zach chuckled, the vibrations from his chest reverberating against my thighs.

“Noah and I fixed up a plan in case that loved up puppy decided to follow.” He informed me.

“Noah? Is that how you found me?” I instantly assumed. “How? I stopped contacting him years ago.”

“Phil is his uncle, that’s how.” Zach responded as he took a right turn. Phil. I never took into account that his last name was Shields. I should have known.

“Put me down.” I ordered, even though I was in no position to be ordering around a man who had just threw me over his shoulder in front of all of my friends and acquaintances.

“I will once we get to your house. Is your mum in?” he asked, turning another random corner.

“I don’t live with my mum anymore.” I responded dryly. “It’s been four fucking years, I’m twenty years old.”

“Twenty one.” He corrected. “I thought you might have stayed with your mum even in university.”

“Well, if it wasn’t for Mike I probably would have.” I groaned. “You should see them together with me sometime, it’s disgusting. I think they’re stuck together with superglue.”

“So I’m allowed in your now life then?” he smirked. My face reddened and I puffed my cheeks out in resentment.

“That’s not what I meant.” I bit out.

I was failing to keep a distance between us. I couldn’t help it. Everything about being with him felt so natural. His aftershave filled my senses, and had found myself staring at his backside the entire time he had me on his shoulder.

“Which way to your place?” he questioned, sensing that he should change the subject.

“We’re not going to my place.” I deadpanned.

“It’s either your place, or I carry you through town like this. Your choice.” He patted my backside again and I wriggled, a blush crawling up my neck. It was as if we had never been apart, and I hated that. I hated how great it felt to be with him again.

“Left, down that path and cut across the grass to those houses. My flat is behind them.” I explained quickly, clutching his shirt as I felt myself slipping down. He lifted me up with a jolt, and I tried to avoid the perplexed stares of a family passing us on the street. The warmth of his arm supporting me seeped into my legs, and my heart guiltily indulged in the close contact with him.

* * *

              “Do you live alone?” was the first thing he said as we entered my minuscule flat. It couldn’t physically supply the space to share with anyone else. The strange thing was that I was scared of what he thought of it. What if he thought I was living in a pig sty? The truth was it was a pig sty. I never had time to clean anything other than the kitchen because it was so small, so the living room and the bedroom looked like a junk bomb had exploded everywhere.

“Yes.” I muttered as he finally allowed me to stand on my own two feet.

He walked a little bit further inside, and I was about to warn him of what was ahead but he had already thwacked his head on the low doorframe.

“Fuck.” He cursed, holding his forehead before looking up at the practically dollhouse sizes doorway. It made him look like a giant - an incredibly gorgeous giant. I couldn’t help but stare at his muscles as they strained against his shirt. My flat had already begun to smell of his aftershave and I inhaled the heavy bittersweet smell as I followed behind him.

“Are you okay?” I stifled a laugh.

“You could have warned me.” He gave me a look.

“You could have let me lead the way and you would have known to duck.” I countered.

“Touché.” He grinned, his eyes warm with humour, but then they changed. He was no longer looking at me humourously; his molten cocoa irises were fixed on mine and they mirrored the wanton feeling that had begun to swell in my gut.

"Why did it take you so long to find me?" I asked softly. 

"My mother did a good job at covering your tracks. It was purely coincidence Noah found out his uncle had hired you." he informed quietly. 

"Did you...sleep with anyone else?" I ventured to ask, even though my heart was hammering nervously and I regretted it as soon as the words left my lips.

"No. Not once, not even close." he told me, his eyes serious, until they had a sudden dread in them. "Did you?"

I glared at him. "No, of course not!"

"Really?" he breathed.

"Really." I repeated. "Not once, not even close. Happy?"

The air had suddenly become hot and there was covetousness in the atmosphere. We stood opposite each other, our eyes locked and breaths heavy. He watched me as he slowly began to edge towards me, as if he was asking permission. We both knew he did not need to. He placed his hands on my hips, advancing forward until my back tapped softly on the wall behind me.

“I'm sorry I kicked you.” I babbled as he pushed further into my space, his torso already dominating over mine.

“I deserved it.” He whispered, his mouth finding the shell of my ear and planting a supple kiss. I pressed my lips together with anticipation as he rubbed his thumb in circles across my waist. My breath hitched as he kissed his way down the delicate slope between my neck and my shoulder. I could feel my veins sizzling with longing as he pulled my face towards him and kissed me full on my mouth.

His citrus and mint taste tantalized my taste buds and his lips curved into a smile as I sighed contentedly. I would never be able resist him. Our tongues delegated control as we kissed each other roughly, hands travelling desperately as we pulled each other closer. Zach began to pluck the ribbon at the back of my corset with his finger, loosening it until the bodice dropped around my ankles.

The black vest Imogen had advised me to wear to cover my decorum had exhausted its use as he tore it from me, letting it join the corset on the floor – and it was clear in his wide eyes he had not been expecting me to be braless underneath it.

Half naked, I was wedged between the wall and his chest, sliding my hands up to reach his torso. I eagerly explored his bare chest and hardly noticed he was not as toned as before, as the hard muscles were still there under my fingertips as I clawed my nails down his skin. He grumbled, thumping me against the wall as he lifted me up.

        “You’ve become feisty.” He noted lustfully, his eyes practically black with desire.

I ignored him, only interested in getting that black shirt off his back in one swift motion. He complied and our chests were flat against each other, his scorching body heat and softly firm skin connecting with my bust. We were a hot mess, skin to skin and I couldn’t remember ever needing anything else but him. He unzipped his jeans, letting them fall in a puddle around his legs as he concentrated on tugging my shorts down my thighs.

He groaned as I threaded my fingers through his thick hair and hooked his fingers into my underwear, letting the black lace piece of material follow suit with my shorts. I could feel an aching need for him in the junction of my thighs, and I wiggled impatiently.

“No, shit.” He panted. “I don’t have protection. We going to have to wait a little bit more.”

“I have the injection. My mum insisted when I started uni. I’m not waiting for you anymore.” I told him seriously, and it was all the confirmation he needed.

_________________________________

Hey guys!

In case some of you were confused, the first part is in Zach’s point of view, and the second half is Lou’s. I’m sure many of you realised, but it can be a bit confusing. I don’t like to put ‘ZACH’S POV’ or ‘LOU’S POV’ at the top of every other chapter, because it looks a bit tedious.

Also, I know I cut it off a bit at the sex scene, but this is a PG-13 book, so I’m afraid it will have to suffice, since Wattpad has deemed this chapter rated R anyway.(I'll have to edit little bits out later :( ) For those of you wanting a raunchier book, please check out my other book ‘Control’ because there will be a LOT of sex scenes to come for that!

And it wasn’t a punch! She kicked him!

Which team are you guys on so far? Team Zach or Team Lachlan? What did you all think of this chapter? Let me know in the comments below!

The next update will not be on Wednesday, because I am working that day and won’t have the time, so expect it on Friday or Saturday. Control fans will have their next chapter on Thursday!

This is unedited, again, I am a lazy bunny. Any errors pointed out will be appreciated! Thank you!

Thanks for readying as always! I love you all!

- R x